GLOSSARY
MeshLab
MeshLab is a free, open-source mesh processing tool maintained by the ISTI-CNR Visual Computing Lab. It is the workhorse for cleaning, repairing, decimating, and converting 3D meshes — especially scan and photogrammetry output.
Definition
MeshLab has existed since 2005 and has been the default academic and hobbyist mesh utility for nearly two decades. It loads basically every mesh format (STL, OBJ, PLY, OFF, 3DS, and many more), exposes hundreds of filters from the underlying VCG library, and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Official site: meshlab.net.
Why it matters
MeshLab is the right tool when you need to do something specific to a mesh: close a hole, decimate, smooth, transfer colors, align two scans, sample surface points. The filter library is comprehensive and well-documented.
For point cloud cleanup — the typical photogrammetry or LiDAR output — MeshLab's alignment, simplification, and Poisson-surface-reconstruction filters are the standard workflow. The PyMeshLab Python bindings make these scriptable.
Common confusion
MeshLab is a processing tool, not a modeling tool. You do not create geometry from scratch in MeshLab — you operate on existing meshes. For sculpting or modeling, use Blender or ZBrush.
The interface is dated and can feel intimidating. Most users rely on a handful of filters (Quadric Edge Collapse Decimation, Close Holes, Re-Orient Faces Coherently, Smooth) and ignore the rest.